Investigation into Greenvale Hotel tragedy is advancing say PSNI on the first anniversary of teenagers deaths

Detectives from the PSNI’s major investigation team have provided an update on the investigation into the deaths of three teenagers at Greenvale Hotel, Cookstown, on the first anniversary of the tragedy.
By Stanley Campbell
Published 17th Mar 2020, 08:26 BST
Updated 17th Mar 2020, 08:27 BST
The scene of the tragedy one year ago.The scene of the tragedy one year ago.
The scene of the tragedy one year ago.

Morgan Barnard (17), Lauren Bullock (17) and Connor Currie (16) died after a crush outside the venue on St Patrick’s night.

Detective chief inspector Eamonn Corrigan said: “One year on from the heart-breaking events, our thoughts remain very much with the families of the three teenagers who sadly lost their lives at the St Patrick’s night event, and also with their friends, anyone who witnessed the tragedy unfold and the wider community.

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“We do not underestimate that today will be extremely painful and traumatic for the families of Morgan Barnard, Lauren Bullock and Connor Currie and I would like to reassure them that our focus remains firmly on trying to find answers for them.

"We remain in close, regular contact with these families providing them with updates on the progress of the investigation, which is one of the largest undertaken by the PSNI, we will continue to offer them personal updates at any time of their choosing.

“Our dedicated team of detectives continue to work diligently and this major investigation is advancing. However it will take time as it is complex and involves a significant number of witnesses and substantial amounts of evidence to be assessed and progressed. However we remain absolutely committed to building up an accurate picture of what happened last St Patrick’s night.

“We have identified more than 1000 witnesses within this investigation, amongst these are approximately 800 young people who were at the venue on St Patrick’s night.

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"It takes time to cross reference witness statements with CCTV footage, mobile phone videos and phone calls made to the emergency services as well as other evidence gathered. I understand the length of time this takes can be frustrating for the teenagers’ loved ones but it is important we get this right for them.”